Arne Slot faced a tough test in his Premier League career as Liverpool hosted Enzo Maresca‘s Chelsea at Anfield at the weekend in matchweek 8. Goals from Mohammed Salah and Curtis Jones were enough to see off a hard fought 2-1 victory against a very resilient Chelsea side as Liverpool remain top of the league with one point ahead of second place Man City.
Yet the scoreline doesn’t give the whole picture as Liverpool were really tested and looked rattled by the dynamism of Chelsea’s tactical setup.
Chelsea’s tactical masterclass almost stuns Liverpool
It was far from the controlled performance we’ve come to see under Arne Slot as Chelsea were successful in pulling Liverpool into a more chaotic game as the Blues were successful in occasionally breaking Liverpool’s first line of press. Chelsea were able to exploit Liverpool’s 4-2-4 pressing shape by utilizing Romeo’s Lavia quality playing with his back to goal.
Lavia’s quality playing out of pressure consistently broke Liverpool’s defensive shape with the home team consistently exposed on their right hand side as Chelsea were able to complete 106 passes in Liverpool’s half in the first half. Chelsea’s pass completion rate of 88.1% was the highest by a visiting team at Anfield in the Premier League since records(2003/2004). Chelsea had more possession, more touches in the opposition & more passes in the final third than the host.
Chelsea were also successful in disrupting Liverpool’s build up patterns in the first half utilizing an aggressive man to man press that made it difficult for Arne Slot’s side to play through the centre of the pitch. Liverpool had answers of theirs as tactical changes made in the second half by Slot were the decisive factor in the outcome of the game.
Curtis Jones was a standout performer in midfield as his grit and hard work in midfield was crucial in shutting down passing lanes to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.
Liverpool’s resilience edges out
Slot’s tactical tweak by going direct to Salah through long balls from the first phase of buildup showcased a tactical robustness that could go a long way in Liverpool’s title ambitions. Salah’s individual performance was also a key factor as Chelsea were tactically on par with Liverpool. Liverpool fans will be hoping on the Egyptian winger to maintain his fitness and fine start to the season as he now has 5 goals and 5 assists in 8 Premier League games this season.
It was far from a typical Liverpool performance under Arne Slot but given the quality opposition in a star studded Enzo Maresca Chelsea, it’s arguable to say that Liverpool might have passed their genuine first test. Despite Chelsea’s constant furry into Liverpool’s defensive third, they were limited to an xG of 0.99 highlighting Liverpool’s defensive quality. They boasts the best defense in the Premier League this season, with a total of three goals conceded and a +12 goal difference.
This is different from Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football but eight games into the Premier League season, it is becoming clear that Liverpool’s title ambitions are not a fluke as Arne Slot has shown he has what it takes to dethrone Pep Guardiola’s City.
